WSACS co-hosted a booth last week at the largest critical care meeting in the world. The 34th ISICEM attracted more than 6000 participants from around the world and many of them stopped by at the booth to pickup the guidelines flyer or just a chocolate :).
Dr Matos Alfredo from Panama registered for 2-year WSACS membership and won the iPad mini. Congratulations!

Picture: Dr. Matos Alfredo receives the iPad mini from Dr. Manu Malbrain, WSACS treasurer.

WSACS came to realize that expanding our network is essential to achieve our goals, and we have been looking for new ways to connect to all healthcare workers around the world. For this reason we appointed WSACS Ambassadors in different parts of the world. WSACS Ambassadors are IAH and ACS experienced and will assist WSACS to improve IAH and ACS knowledge in their country and region. We expect WSACS Ambassadors to

• Promote the WSACS locally
• Liaise with local surgical and critical care societies
• Assist the WSACS in translating the latest WSACS guidelines
• Stimulate participation in WSACS studies
• Participate in WSACS activities

Please feel free to contact the WSACS Ambassador in your area if you have any question for them – use the email address provided.

Despite increasing interest in intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) as causes of significant morbidity and mortality among the critically ill, unanswered questions cloud the understanding of the pathophysiology of these conditions:

• Are IAH and ACS synonymous?
• What are the ideal methods of measuring and lowering intra-abdominal pressure (IAP)?
• When should we think of IAH?
• Can IAH be prevented?
• What level of IAP requires abdominal decompression?

WSACS Members receive 20% discount. The price will be updated if you login.

Buy Intra-Abdominal Hypertension

Full access to World Congress video and slide presentations

• Discounts on World Congress registration fees
• Discounts on WSACS publications including Abdominal Compartment Syndrome
• Clinical Trials Working Group (CTWG) membership and support for research proposals and funding
• Late-breaking IAH/ACS news

Membership dues are 50 euros per year. Subscribe for a 2-year Membership and receive a discount.

Become a member!

The UK NICE institute has updated its guidance document regarding open abdomen management.

Remarkably, the document discusses open abdominal wounds but fails to mention ‘abdominal compartment syndrome’ but only conditions often associated with it such as damage control surgery and abdominal sepsis. According to the document, several options to manage the open abdomen are available and negative pressure wound therapy is considered safe.

www.nice.org.uk

Welcome to the WSACS – the Abdominal Compartment Society.

Times are changing and so is our society! As the incidence of Abdominal Compartment Syndrome is dropping, and the challenges in these patients are changing, the Executive Committee decided to update the name of the “World Society of the Abdominal Compartment  Syndrome” to “WSACS – the Abdominal Compartment Society”. Expanding the focus of the Society to the different challenges in critically ill patients with abdominal catastrophes will allow us to continue our mission in the next decade and improve outcome in these patients.